Nine has inked a content deal with NBCUniversal, with the intent of turning 9Now into an 'entertainment destination'

Nine Entertainment Co has secured a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal for content on the broadcaster's on-demand service 9Now and traditional television channels.

The agreement with NBCUniversal Global Distribution & International includes scripted and unscripted shows, a library of backlog content and feature films and first rights to a new Bravo series commissioned from 2020 onwards. Nine is the owner of this masthead.

News Corp and Telstra-owned Foxtel still retains first rights for existing programs such as "The Real Housewives of Orange County".

"But we've collapsed the window for when [existing series] can come to us," said Nine's programming director, Hamish Turner. "We have some of these brands on the 9Life channel already but it could take up to 24 months before we could air them. Now it will be just six or nine months.

"We'll also have deeper and richer video-on-demand rights whereas before we could only have certain episodes on our catch-up site for seven days after they were broadcast on linear TV."

The agreement allows Nine to use NBCUniversal content across its free-to-air channels, catch-up site 9Now and subscription video-on-demand service Stan with new programs available from December 1.

"There'll be a whole raft of content that will sit exclusively on 9Now," Mr Turner said. "It's important we cater to audiences by giving them a greater mix of content on demand."

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks said in a statement that typically on-demand services such as 9Now have been a "reflection" of linear channels but this approach is changing.

"This deal with NBCU sees 9Now firmly beyond being a 'catch-up service' and instead become an entertainment destination in its own right," he said.

Nine will also be the free-to-air rights holder for the "Real Housewives" franchise, "Million Dollar Listing New York" and "Below Deck", as well as upcoming show "Family Karma".

The deal also includes content from E! such as "Botched" and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and the rights for the first-run of 2020 shows "Resident Alien", "Bluff City Law" and "Duncanville".

The deal further extends an existing agreement for Nine to retain rights to NBC's Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation films such as "Bourne", "The Fast and the Furious", "Back to the Future" and "Shrek".

Nine-owned streaming video service Stan signed a deal with NBCUniversal in 2017 bringing shows such as Will & Grace and Parks and Recreation to the platform. Earlier this month, Foxtel entered a new multi-year deal with NBCUniversal for content in the film library, franchises and first-run rights to Chicago P.D. that premiered on November 15.

Nine is the owner of Pedestrian Group, the publisher of Business Insider Australia.